1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a pattern forming method.
2. Related Art
In recent years, droplet-ejecting apparatus that form an image or pattern on a recording medium using UV-curable ink, which cures upon irradiation with ultraviolet light, have been receiving attention. UV-curable ink, which dries extremely slowly until irradiated with ultraviolet light, at which point it rapidly cures, has properties favorable for use as a printer ink. Because no solvent is evaporated when it cures, this type of ink also has the advantage of placing little burden upon on the environment.
UV-curable ink also demonstrates high bondability to a variety of recording media depending on vehicle composition. It also possesses many superior properties, such as chemical stability after curing, adhesiveness, chemical resistance, weather resistance, friction resistance, and the ability to withstand outdoor environments. For this reason, along with thin, sheet-like recording media such as paper, resin film, metal foil, and the like, UV ink can also form images on materials with surfaces having some degree of three-dimensionality, such as recording media labels, textile products, and the like. Techniques are known in which a droplet ejection method is used to print attribute information such as manufacturing number and manufacturer on an IC on a substrate using a UV-curable ink as described above (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2003-080687).